When I was serving as pastor of First Baptist Church in Gainesville, Texas, in 2006, I got a phone call in my office. The woman on the other end said, “Dr. Denison, your name was given to us as the local pastor who gets the most involved in community issues. I represent a man who is thinking about running for public office. There are four of us in a car, on our way from Oklahoma City to Dallas. We are stopping in Gainesville for lunch, and wondered if we could stop by your office for a few minutes while we are in town. Our candidate would like to meet you.”

I said, “Sure,” not even asking who this “candidate” was. And a few minutes later, my assistant knocked on my door, and in walked this “candidate,” happy to meet a local pastor on his way though our town.

His name was Barack Obama.

Now that is a great story. It’s not a true story, but it’s a great story. Hilda van Stockum wrote, in The Borrowed House, “It is much easier to believe lies than the truth.” Paul said there is coming a time when man will run after a lie rather than embrace the truth (2 Thessalonians 2:11). That day has come.

Today is April Fools’ Day – so watch out. You may hear some good-natured stories that aren’t true. Like mine. I never met the President of my local Rotary Club, let alone the President of the United States. But sometimes our words move beyond being good-natured. We need to recognize a lie. Better yet, we must learn to embrace the Truth.